Friday
Dec082000
191 - e-Learning Standards Take HUGE Step Forward - Metadata Agreements; More Deals and Funding
December 8, 2000
1. A Child Finally Understands A Parent's e-Learning Job: After TechLearn,
I received this wonderful note from Adam Girad from Deutsche Bank:
"I was sitting at my in-laws this Thanksgiving weekend when my 9 year old
niece wanted to go on-line. I sat down with her at the computer and she went
directly to a eLearning site for Elementary school students. After watching
her learn about bar charts for a few minutes I said, "Did you know this is
what I do at work, except for people in my company?" Her response,
"Really..oh cool!" For once in my life someone finally understood what I do
for a living!"
2. MASIE Center Announces e-Learning Briefing in Seattle: Elliott Masie
will be teaching a 2 day intensive e-Learning Briefing (with on-line
follow-up sessions) in Seattle, Washington on January 22 and 23, 2001.
Complete information and on-line registration at www.masie.com/elearning
3. e-Learning Standards Take HUGE Step Forward - Metadata Agreements: If we
build large collections of e-Learning content, the world needs to have a way
of indexing and "coding" information, to be able to search and deploy
knowledge dynamically. The world of standards groups took a huge step
forward this week, with an international agreement on cooperation. Wayne
Hodgins reports from Europe:
We know two things for sure about learning standards and metadata; we have
to have them if we are going to see e-Learning take off, and they are VERY
confusing to most people initially. So it was a particularly noteworthy
Press Release this week when the Learning Technology Standards Committee
Learning Objects Metadata (LTSC-LOM) Working Group of the IEEE (Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers) and the Dublin Core Metadata
Initiative (DCMI) today announced their joint commitment to develop
interoperable metadata for learning, education and training. The joint
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is signed by officers representing the LOM
Working Group and DCMI. The document is co-signed by representatives of
concurring projects: ARIADNE (Alliance of Remote Instructional Authoring and
Distribution Networks for Europe), EdNA (Education Network Australia), GEM
(Gateway to Educational Materials), and the IMS Global Learning Consortium.
The MOU signifies that a core set of specifications and accredited standards
is emerging to support an interoperable infrastructure for worldwide
e-learning. Metadata describes characteristics about content objects used
for learning. It facilitates searching, management and linking granules of
content. Metadata enables learners, authors and others to search, retrieve
and assemble reusable learning objects. Developers of Web-enabled learning
technology products increasingly note ready access to comprehensive
repositories of metadata as a critical factor in the next generation of
learning and knowledge creation. However, to be useful metadata must be
highly interoperable and reusable worldwide. Which is what makes this
agreement between all these groups so important.
As we can all appreciate, it was no small task to have such a diverse and
international set of organizations, consortiums and standards bodies to
develop such a common understanding and strong commitment to this shared
vision of interoperability. This bodes particularly well for the future of
e-Learning and is yet another indication that these specifications and
standards, as well as our industry, are maturing and reaching critical mass.
For more information about this joint commitment please visit: http://purl.org/dc/
4. More Deals and Funding: Every day we receive at least 10 press
announcements about deals, partnerships and funding from companies in the
e-Learning market. Here are two of note that hit my screen recently:
- Kaplan, Inc. announced today that it has acquired Speer Software Training,
Inc. which it intends to combine with its Perfect Access division. Perfect
Access is a provider of software training and consulting for law firms,
financial institutions and Fortune 500 corporations. Speer is another major
player in Perfect Access' market. Bonnie Speer McGrath, the founder of
Speer, will serve as President of the combined entity. http://www.speer.com/
- Knowledge Planet, a Web-based corporate training applications provider,
said it has raised $47 million in its second round of financing. GE Equity and DHM
Arcadia Partners co-led the round. Backers included First Union Capital Partners and
AIG Horizon Partners . Previous investors HarbourVest Partners and Knowledge Universe
also participated in the round. The company said it will use the funds to increase sales and
marketing and for international expansion. http://www.knowledgeplanet.com
MASIE Events and Services:
- Learning Decisions Interactive Newsletter - Monthly Research Reports only
$198 per year. www.learningdecisions.com
- Elliott Masie's e-Learning Briefing - January 22 and 23, 2001 Seattle, WA
www.masie.com/elearning
I received this wonderful note from Adam Girad from Deutsche Bank:
"I was sitting at my in-laws this Thanksgiving weekend when my 9 year old
niece wanted to go on-line. I sat down with her at the computer and she went
directly to a eLearning site for Elementary school students. After watching
her learn about bar charts for a few minutes I said, "Did you know this is
what I do at work, except for people in my company?" Her response,
"Really..oh cool!" For once in my life someone finally understood what I do
for a living!"
2. MASIE Center Announces e-Learning Briefing in Seattle: Elliott Masie
will be teaching a 2 day intensive e-Learning Briefing (with on-line
follow-up sessions) in Seattle, Washington on January 22 and 23, 2001.
Complete information and on-line registration at www.masie.com/elearning
3. e-Learning Standards Take HUGE Step Forward - Metadata Agreements: If we
build large collections of e-Learning content, the world needs to have a way
of indexing and "coding" information, to be able to search and deploy
knowledge dynamically. The world of standards groups took a huge step
forward this week, with an international agreement on cooperation. Wayne
Hodgins reports from Europe:
We know two things for sure about learning standards and metadata; we have
to have them if we are going to see e-Learning take off, and they are VERY
confusing to most people initially. So it was a particularly noteworthy
Press Release this week when the Learning Technology Standards Committee
Learning Objects Metadata (LTSC-LOM) Working Group of the IEEE (Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers) and the Dublin Core Metadata
Initiative (DCMI) today announced their joint commitment to develop
interoperable metadata for learning, education and training. The joint
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is signed by officers representing the LOM
Working Group and DCMI. The document is co-signed by representatives of
concurring projects: ARIADNE (Alliance of Remote Instructional Authoring and
Distribution Networks for Europe), EdNA (Education Network Australia), GEM
(Gateway to Educational Materials), and the IMS Global Learning Consortium.
The MOU signifies that a core set of specifications and accredited standards
is emerging to support an interoperable infrastructure for worldwide
e-learning. Metadata describes characteristics about content objects used
for learning. It facilitates searching, management and linking granules of
content. Metadata enables learners, authors and others to search, retrieve
and assemble reusable learning objects. Developers of Web-enabled learning
technology products increasingly note ready access to comprehensive
repositories of metadata as a critical factor in the next generation of
learning and knowledge creation. However, to be useful metadata must be
highly interoperable and reusable worldwide. Which is what makes this
agreement between all these groups so important.
As we can all appreciate, it was no small task to have such a diverse and
international set of organizations, consortiums and standards bodies to
develop such a common understanding and strong commitment to this shared
vision of interoperability. This bodes particularly well for the future of
e-Learning and is yet another indication that these specifications and
standards, as well as our industry, are maturing and reaching critical mass.
For more information about this joint commitment please visit: http://purl.org/dc/
4. More Deals and Funding: Every day we receive at least 10 press
announcements about deals, partnerships and funding from companies in the
e-Learning market. Here are two of note that hit my screen recently:
- Kaplan, Inc. announced today that it has acquired Speer Software Training,
Inc. which it intends to combine with its Perfect Access division. Perfect
Access is a provider of software training and consulting for law firms,
financial institutions and Fortune 500 corporations. Speer is another major
player in Perfect Access' market. Bonnie Speer McGrath, the founder of
Speer, will serve as President of the combined entity. http://www.speer.com/
- Knowledge Planet, a Web-based corporate training applications provider,
said it has raised $47 million in its second round of financing. GE Equity and DHM
Arcadia Partners co-led the round. Backers included First Union Capital Partners and
AIG Horizon Partners . Previous investors HarbourVest Partners and Knowledge Universe
also participated in the round. The company said it will use the funds to increase sales and
marketing and for international expansion. http://www.knowledgeplanet.com
MASIE Events and Services:
- Learning Decisions Interactive Newsletter - Monthly Research Reports only
$198 per year. www.learningdecisions.com
- Elliott Masie's e-Learning Briefing - January 22 and 23, 2001 Seattle, WA
www.masie.com/elearning
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